Saturday, March 28, 2009

Lisa got home Wendnesday morning and thank goodness!! The volcano has been erupting off and on since then occasionally cancelling flights to Anchorage. BUT since last night, Redoubt has been erupting almost constantly. The winds haven't been favorable for ash to make it up to Anchorage.....UNTIL NOW!!!

This afternoon, we got a call from Sam (who I am sure is posting pictures on his blog right now) to say that he could see an ash cloud to our south. So we gathered the girls and the camera and headed out to look for a cloud and do some quick grocery shopping. As we were leaving we noticed it was a bit hazy but was still unsure what we were looking at. We drove around and before long we were sure what we were looking at was ash. Cars were kicking up stuff of the road but what convinced us was driving by a local lake that is still covered in ice and snow...it was obviously discolored. WHOAH!!! So we got to the store and watched as ash was obviously blowing off of the roof of the store. We decided that the girls shouldn't go out into the ash and since Lisa knew what we were shopping for, she volunteered to run through it to get inside.So as I was sitting there waiting and watching the ash collect on the car, I realized that people coming in and out of the store were legitimately panicking. It was laughable at how people were reacting. People were running in and out of the store covering their mouths but completely oblivious to where they were running. People were driving like idiots so I witnessed at least three times where someone was almost hit by a car.

My favorite was a family who thought they were more important than anyone else so they drove up and parked right next to the front door, walked in to get their groceries and masks, leaving the car there to block the entrance so no one else could drop off or pick up their family. Brilliant. Here's a few more pictures I took while I was waiting.Here's a shot driving home of how bad the visibility was. And then once we got home and got everyone inside, I went out and took some pictures around the house....and this poor moose in our backyard sucking in that delicious ash.Be sure to click on these pics...I uploaded the full size so you can see what the ash really looks like.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Yeah there could be worse places to be stuck but when you've been away from your babies for the first time and are excited to finally be home...it doesn't matter where you're stuck, it SUCKS! Alaska Air put Lisa up in a hotel near the airport and scheduled her out first thing Wednesday morning. All flights are booked for tomorrow. They said they are going to try and add more flights tomorrow so I will be staying up and calling to get her on one of those flights.

Is that the title of my last post? Oh well...so just when we thought Lisa was going to make it home, Redoubt just blew again. I've been watching it like a hawk all day. Lisa literally called me as she was getting on her short flight to Seattle (cause she doesn't want to get stuck there of course) to check on the status and I told her..."All is quiet. You are good to go".

Then, 30 minutes later, Redoubt blows her top again!! So far her flight is still listed as "on time" but this could obviously change.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Mt. Redoubt just erupted!! Under the right circumstances, this would be really cool. Unfortunately Lisa is still in Portland and this will likely cancel all flights into Anchorage.

It just erupted 30 minutes ago so we don't know anything yet but I'll be checking Alaska Air's website pretty frequently tomorrow to see if Lisa's flight is canceled. Cross your fingers, we are all ready for Lisa to be home!!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Final installment of the Hawaii vacation...this might take me 3 hours to do but I am determined to finish this tonight.

So the next morning we went out for breakfast at an amazing place on the beach. Alyssa was having a blast but Katy really had a hard time calming down for some reasons. So during breakfast, I ended up walking her outside and chasing these pigeons. After breakfast, everyone joined us for some real fun. Several pictures in here up for "picture of the trip".Here is one of my favorites of Alyssa.My personal favorite from the entire trip.One of Lisa's favorites.Katy was having a real hard time with the wind. She was constantly clinging to Lisa and had to keep her hood on to keep the wind from blowing in her hair.Lisa picking up Katy again.And another one of my favorites...showing just how upset Katy was.Katy struggling with the wind.Our full day, we decided to drive up to Haleakala National Park. Only problem is it was in the clouds so we had to contend with some drizzle once we got to the top...a cool 10000 feet above sea level. First order of business, feed the girls in the back of the car.Proof of the drizzle.We were just patient enough for the sun to start breaking through once we drove up to the summit.Lisa pointed out the rocks to the girls...before we knew it they were picking them up and flinging them.And here is my personal favorite. I know it looks a little dangerous (which is why it is my favorite picture) but no babies were harmed in the making of this awesome picture.Katy chucking a rock.Another one of my personal favorites from the trip.That evening, we enjoyed our last sunset in Hawaii.I like taking pictures of pictures.Katy playing with Terri's lip.Me soaking up some scenery...and peace.Our last day in Hawaii, go figure, the girls were finally...FINALLY okay with the sun, the wind, the waves, and the sand. It was a beautiful day...making it that much harder to pack up and come home that evening.What an amazing place!Lisa and I finally got a walk on the beach. It was funny when we walked away, we could hear the girls yelling "no no no no no". I don't think they liked us walking that close to the water.Whew....the top of my head was a little red. One more chance to soak up the sun...and a Longboard beer.What an amazing AMAZING trip!! Thank you Dennis and Terri for funding our trip. We've been wanting to do this forever and can't wait to do it again!